Complexity Digest 2002.37

16-Sep-2002

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Content

  1. A Biological Understanding Of Human Nature,, Edge
  2. A Theory of Evolution, for Robots,, Wired
  3. Even Neurons Have Favorite Numbers, ScienceDaily
    1. Single-Neuron Arithmetic,, Science
    2. Representation of the Quantity of Visual Items in the Primate Prefrontal Cortex,, Science
  4. Math = Beauty + Truth / (Really Hard), Salon
  5. For An Irregular Lens, An Optical Blueprint,, NYTimes
  6. Immunology: The Roots Of Antibody Diversity,, Nature
  7. Stroke Stopper: New Vaccine Curbs Blood Vessel Damage In Lab Animals, Science News
  8. The Sympatric Evolution Of A Social Parasite In Real Time?, Behav. Eco. & Sociobiol.
    1. Pretender Punishment Induced By Chemical Signalling In A Queenless Ant,, Nature
  9. Cockroach Stability,, Science
  10. Food Webs In River Networks, Ecological Research
  11. Sex-Pheromone Link To Insect Evolution, Suggesting Problems For Pest Control ,, Cornell Press Release
  12. Hewlett Finds a Process to Make Chips Even Smaller, NYTimes
  13. Gossip Based Ad-Hoc Routing, arXiv
  14. Al Pacino in "Simone",, Here & Now
  15. Eerie Possibilities [Radio Frequency ID], Info World
  16. Baseball Injuries: Interview with Dr. Frank Jobe,, ESPN.com
  17. Signal Analysis Of Behavioral And Molecular Cycles, BMC Neurosci
  18. Materials Science: Edge Effects,, Nature
  19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks
    1. Mapping the Minds in Iraq's Regime,, LA Times
    2. Homeland-Security Research: Mission Impossible?,, Nature
    3. Air Security Focusing on Flier Screening,, Washington Post
    4. Homeland Security: The White House Plan Explained And Examined,, Brookings Forum
    5. September 11, One Year Later: What's Ahead for an Altered Homeland,, Brookings Forum
    6. Investigating 9/11: An Unimaginable Calamity, Still Largely Unexamined, NYTimes
    7. New Deterrence Approach Needed to Discourage Terrorism,, National Academy Press
  20. Links & Snippets
    1. Other Publications
    2. Webcast Announcements
    3. Conference Announcements

  1. A Biological Understanding Of Human Nature,, Edge Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: "Why are empirical questions about how the mind works so weighted down with political and moral and emotional baggage? Why do people believe that there are dangerous implications to the idea that the mind is a product of the brain, that the brain is organized in part by the genome, and that the genome was shaped by natural selection?" (...) By exploring the political and moral colorings of discoveries about what makes us tick, we can have a more honest science and a less fearful intellectual milieu.

  2. A Theory of Evolution, for Robots,, Wired Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Scientists still do not fully understand the mechanics of insect flight, especially those aspects controlling balance and motion. (...) An elegant way around the lack of understanding could be to just give up on understanding altogether and let the machines learn for themselves.

    Genetic programming is one way to approach this complex problem. (...) Successful ones were paired up, and "offspring" sets of instructions were generated by swapping instructions randomly between successful pairs. These next-generation instructions were then sent to the robot and evaluated before breeding a new generation.


  3. Even Neurons Have Favorite Numbers, ScienceDaily Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: At least a third of the communicating cells in a front part of the brain critical for reasoning and planning seem adept at keeping track of the number of things seen (...). What's more, they even pick favorite quantities. Activity of neurons in the prefrontal cortex of monkeys trained to judge the number of dots on a computer screen reflected changes in quantity - peaking for a preferred number and then dropping off progressively as the discrepancy between numbers of dots increased, the researchers found. The study adds to mounting evidence showing how the prefrontal cortex categorizes information from the senses.

    1. Single-Neuron Arithmetic,, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Space, time, and number are basic objects of human thought that are fundamental to mathematics. Yet, just like any other aspect of our mental life, these abstract concepts must somehow be encoded in the biology of neurons and synapses. Although the representation of space has occupied much of neuroscience research, the neuronal bases of the sense of time and number have received much less attention. (...) this work opens up the exciting possibility of studying the cerebral bases of elementary arithmetic at the single-cell level.

    2. Representation of the Quantity of Visual Items in the Primate Prefrontal Cortex,, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Deriving the quantity of items is an abstract form of categorization. To explore it, monkeys were trained to judge whether successive visual displays contained the same quantity of items. Many neurons in the lateral prefrontal cortex were tuned for quantity (...). Their tuning curves formed overlapping filters, which may explain why behavioral discrimination improves with increasing numerical distance and why discrimination of two quantities with equal numerical distance worsens as their numerical size increases. A mechanism that extracts the quantity of visual field items could contribute to general numerical ability.


  4. Math = Beauty + Truth / (Really Hard), Salon Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpt: As you read this, ex-physicists are probably devising ever more sophisticated ways to wager your pension fund on Wall Street, and no doubt five geniuses in a government agency that does not officially exist are developing data-mining algorithms that will calculate the likelihood your baby sister is a terrorist.

    But there was little to no popular media coverage of the Aug. 20 announcement of the Fields Medals, the highest honor in mathematics. Given every four years to the best mathematicians under the age of 40, (...)


  5. For An Irregular Lens, An Optical Blueprint,, NYTimes Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpt: By using a common eye measurement instrument called a corneal topography device with the same spline equations that are used to create cinematic special effects, doctors could one day measure the cornea's surface down to the tiniest micron. Maps based on the measurements could be used to create customized contact lenses for people suffering from keratoconus, eliminating the need for invasive surgery.

    "Normally with corneal topography, if I move my eye, the measurements will change, which is incorrect, since my eye did not really change shape," (...).


  6. Immunology: The Roots Of Antibody Diversity,, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: When faced with foreign molecules our antibodies mutate, allowing them to bind to the intruders more strongly. (...)

    One of the tactics our immune system uses to fight off intruders is the production of protective antibody proteins, which recognize and neutralize foreign molecules. Antibodies are secreted by the B cells of the immune system, and are unique among our proteins in their unlimited potential for diversity. (...) when a B cell recognizes and responds to a foreign molecule, these variable genes undergo mutation at a tremendously high frequency.

     


  7. Stroke Stopper: New Vaccine Curbs Blood Vessel Damage In Lab Animals, Science News Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpt: Scientists have developed an unusual vaccine that prevents some strokes in laboratory rats. The treatment works by desensitizing the animals' immune system to a protein residing within their blood vessels.

    When displayed on a blood vessel's lining, the protein, called E-Selectin, facilitates the binding of white blood cells to the vessel wall and elicits an inflammatory reaction that can lead to a stroke. By continually exposing rats to human E-Selectin using a nasal spray, researchers short-circuited that inflammatory process.


  8. The Sympatric Evolution Of A Social Parasite In Real Time?, Behav. Eco. & Sociobiol. Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: Honeybee workers (...) usually do not reproduce but can activate their ovaries under queenless conditions to produce male offspring. As an exception to this rule, laying workers of the Cape honeybee parthenogenetically produce diploid female offspring (...). Some of such workers can develop into pseudoqueens, which show high ovarial development and a queenlike pheromonal bouquet. Because there is high genetic variance for these characters, this results in an extreme intracolonial selection. This process is governed by a competition for reproductive dominance among workers (...). The Cape honeybee may therefore constitute a unique subject for studying sympatric speciation of a social parasite.

    1. Pretender Punishment Induced By Chemical Signalling In A Queenless Ant,, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Reproduction is often monopolized by one or a few individuals who behave aggressively to prevent subordinates from reproducing (...). Here we report an unusual mechanism by which the dominant individual maintains reproductive control. In the queenless ant Dinoponera quadriceps, only the alpha female reproduces. If the alpha is challenged by another female she chemically marks the pretender who is then punished by low-ranking females. This cooperation between alpha and low-rankers allows the alpha to inflict punishment indirectly, thereby maintaining her reproductive primacy without having to fight.


  9. Cockroach Stability,, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpt: By mounting tiny cannons on the backs of cockroaches, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have gained support for a new mathematical model explaining how the bugs move so nimbly.

    Cockroaches, such as the 44-millimeter-long Blaberus discoidalis, can race over rugged terrain with remarkable agility. So fast are their balance- keeping reflexes that integrative biologist Robert Full suspected that they are not controlled by its nervous system but instead are built into its mechanical structure.


  10. Food Webs In River Networks, Ecological Research Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: Food webs and river drainages are both hierarchical networks and complex adaptive systems. How does living within the second affect the first? Longitudinal gradients in productivity, disturbance regimes and habitat structure down rivers have long interested ecologists, but their effects on food web structure and dynamics are just beginning to be explored. Even less is known about how network structure per se influences river and riparian food webs and their members. We offer some preliminary observations and hypotheses about these interactions, emphasizing observations on upstream-downstream changes in food web structure and controls (...).

  11. Sex-Pheromone Link To Insect Evolution, Suggesting Problems For Pest Control ,, Cornell Press Release Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpt: (...) Cornell University entomologists have unlocked an evolutionary secret to how insects evolve into new species. The discovery has major implications for the control of insect populations through disruption of mating, suggesting that over time current eradication methods could become ineffective, similar to the way insects develop pesticide resistance. (...)

    They discovered the existence of a previously undetected gene, the delta-14, that can regulate the attractant chemicals produced in sex-pheromone glands of female borers. The gene can be suddenly switched on, changing the pheromone components that females use to attract males for mating.

    The entomologists have demonstrated that insects evolve chemical systems in leaps rather than in minute stages, as had been previously assumed. (...)

    Manipulation of insect chemistry is an effective pest control strategy in that it can be used to disrupt mating behavior. (...)

     


  12. Hewlett Finds a Process to Make Chips Even Smaller, NYTimes Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: Researchers at Hewlett-Packard laboratories have developed a manufacturing process capable of producing molecular-scale circuits vastly denser than today's most advanced semiconductor chips.

    The discovery offers the hope of assembling billions or even trillions of molecular-size switches in an area comfortably smaller than a fingernail and at a cost far lower than today's computer chips. The advance could lead to immensely powerful and inexpensive computers capable of holding entire libraries of music and movies for the consumer, or calculating scientific problems that are now unsolvable.

    At the same time, the scientists said they were startled to discover that their ultratiny switches were behaving in ways not yet completely understood. The switches exhibit swings in electrical resistance that vary by a factor of 10,000. The huge shift is useful for determining when the switches are on or off, but cannot be explained by existing theoretical physics.


  13. Gossip Based Ad-Hoc Routing, arXiv Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Abstract: Many ad hoc routing protocols are based on some variant of flooding. Despite various optimizations, many routing messages are propagated unnecessarily. We propose a gossiping-based approach, where each node forwards a message with some probability, to reduce the overhead of the routing protocols. Gossiping exhibits bimodal behavior in sufficiently large networks: in some executions, the gossip dies out quickly and hardly any node gets the message; in the remaining executions, a substantial fraction of the nodes gets the message. The fraction of executions in which most nodes get the message depends on the gossiping probability and the topology of the network. In the networks we have considered, using gossiping probability between 0.6 and 0.8 suffices to ensure that almost every node gets the message in almost every execution. For large networks, this simple gossiping protocol uses up to 35% fewer messages than flooding, with improved performance. Gossiping can also be combined with various optimizations of flooding to yield further benefits. Simulations show that adding gossiping to AODV results in significant performance improvement, even in networks as small as 150 nodes. We expect that the improvement should be even more significant in larger networks.

  14. Al Pacino in "Simone",, Here & Now Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpt: Niccol's new movie, "Simone" takes aim at the culture's obsession with celebrity and the melding of fiction and reality. Al Pacino stars as Victor Taransky, a frustrated, has-been Hollywood director who gets a second chance at success when he makes a film starring a virtual actress. Simone has "the voice of the young Jane Fonda, the body of Sophia Loren, the face of Audrey Hepburn combined with an angel, and the grace of Grace Kelly."

  15. Eerie Possibilities [Radio Frequency ID], Info World Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: (...)Luxoft is developing the software that works with an RFID tag -- think of it as a smart UPC code -- that will be given to each visitor as part of their visa. Unlike the UPC code on a product in the supermarket, which describes the product, the tag being developed by Luxoft identifies each person in detail, including name, country of origin, where they are staying, and even what language they speak. (...)

    A self-describing RFID tag could provide a maintenance person with information about the part.


  16. Baseball Injuries: Interview with Dr. Frank Jobe,, ESPN.com Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpt: (...) The elbow is almost a hinge, which is a simple joint. The shoulder has four joints involved and 21 muscles. They need to all be in good condition and functioning in a synchronous pattern. It's easier to get the shoulder out of whack and it's harder to get all the joints and muscles rehabbed and back in top shape. If you're lucky enough to have a pitcher with one diagnosis in the shoulder, that's easier. But there are often three or four problems. If you beat up more than one structure, it's very hard to fully repair. (...)

    Contributing Editor's Note: Dr. Frank Jobe's pioneering "Tommy John surgery" (named after the first recipient) to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of a pitcher's throwing hand has saved the career of well over a hundred (and counting) professional pitchers. While conducted in the context of baseball, this interview with Frank Jobe touches on several biomechanical issues--including why repairing a serious injury to a pitcher's shoulder (which can end a pitcher's career) is--at present--more complicated than repairing a serious injury to the elbow.

     


  17. Signal Analysis Of Behavioral And Molecular Cycles, BMC Neurosci Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Contributing Editor's Note: Circadian clocks are biological oscillators that regulate molecular, physiological, and behavioral rhythms in a wide variety of organisms. For example, human brain carries a central circadian clock whose activity has a 24-hour cycle ( See also ComDig 2002.17). A similar approach to molecular rhythms has become possible with the advent of real-time analysis that permits the observations of molecular rhythms over many cycles as well. This may suggests new details about the relationship between molecular and behavioral rhythms. In the following article scientists developed a set of integrated analytical tools to unify the analysis of biological rhythms across modalities.

    Excerpts: We demonstrate an adaptation of digital signal analysis that allows similar treatment of both behavioral and molecular data from our studies of Drosophila. For both types of data, we apply digital filters to extract and clarify details of interest; we employ methods of autocorrelation and spectral analysis to assess rhythmicity and estimate the period; we evaluate phase shifts using crosscorrelation; and we use circular statistics to extract information about phase. (...) demonstrate how a unique aggregation of analytical tools may be used to analyze and compare behavioral and molecular rhythms.


  18. Materials Science: Edge Effects,, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    Excerpts: How do crystal structures terminate at 'flat' surfaces? New developments in electron crystallography mean that the detailed atomic structure of surfaces in complex crystals can be determined - with surprising results.

    Anyone who has made a model of a crystal structure, or even just a drawing of one, must surely be struck by the fact that there is rarely, if ever, a satisfactory way of terminating the structure. Almost invariably, atoms with missing bonds are left dangling at the surface, (...)


  19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks Next Article Bookmark and Share

    1. Mapping the Minds in Iraq's Regime,, LA Times Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: A team using influence-net models tested destructive, electronic warfare and psychological actions to see if any was especially decisive in bringing about the commander's goals. One question posed was how to force one side to back down without resorting to the use of weapons of mass destruction.

      JWAC [Joint Warfare Analysis Center, Ed.] (...) is virtually unheard of outside secret military-planning circles. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, in recognition of the unit's importance, has called for the Pentagon to broaden its multidisciplinary capability "to depict adversaries as complex, adaptive systems."


    2. Homeland-Security Research: Mission Impossible?,, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: Scientific research has long been central to US national security policy. Throughout the cold war, US researchers strove to develop better weapons and intelligence-gathering technologies than their Soviet counterparts. But when confronting terrorism, where the threats are diverse and hard to assess, it is not so easy to set research priorities. "It's going to be more complex than building a rocket or a nuclear weapon," says Page Stoutland, deputy division leader for counter-terrorism (...).

      The main concern is the possibility of terrorists gaining weapons of mass destruction.


    3. Air Security Focusing on Flier Screening,, Washington Post Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: (...) to demonstrate how artificial intelligence and other powerful software can analyze passengers' travel reservations, housing information, family ties, identifying details in credit reports and other personal data to determine if they're "rooted in the community" -- or have an unusual history that indicates a potential threat.

      Now transportation and intelligence officials believe that CAPPS II -- short for the second-generation Computer Assisted Passenger rescreening System -- will form the core of a new framework in aviation security: a far more intense focus on people rather than baggage.


    4. Homeland Security: The White House Plan Explained And Examined,, Brookings Forum Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Event Information: Richard A. Falkenrath, special assistant to President Bush for homeland security and senior director for policy and plans, will present a broad overview of the administration's strategy for homeland security in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

      Falkenrath also will address legislative issues Congress still must resolve related to the proposed establishment of a new Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, such as whether to give the department's executives flexibility on personnel matters and whether to include intelligence analysis in its responsibilities.


    5. September 11, One Year Later: What's Ahead for an Altered Homeland,, Brookings Forum Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: The September 11 terrorist attacks had a major impact on virtually every aspect of American life-foreign, defense, and intelligence policies; economic, budgetary, political, and societal consequences; security of the American homeland; and the way Americans conduct their day-to-day lives.

      The Brookings Institution has spent much of the past year examining these and other implications of that terrible day. At this forum, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz will deliver the keynote speech, leading Brookings scholars will explain their initial findings and discuss future challenges, (...).


    6. Investigating 9/11: An Unimaginable Calamity, Still Largely Unexamined, NYTimes Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpt: Another residue of the 1993 attack was the use of helicopters by the police, who landed on a roof and removed stranded people. The firefighters, whose department has no helicopter, saw the police as showboats taking risks.

      Afterward, the Port Authority, with the agreement of the Fire Department, decided to lock the roof doors as a security measure. On Sept. 11, some 200 people tried to get onto the roof of the south tower but could not open the door.


    7. New Deterrence Approach Needed to Discourage Terrorism,, National Academy Press Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: In addition to traditional deterrence strategies, fighting terrorism may require working more closely with countries and third parties who are able to communicate more effectively with terrorists, says a new report from the National Academies' Center for Social and Economic Studies. The report, which examines what terrorists hold in value, recommends a long term, contextualized approach to countering terrorism.

       


  20. Links & Snippets Next Article Bookmark and Share

    1. Other Publications Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. Evolutionary Games and Quasispecies, M. Laessig, L. Peliti, F. Tria, arXiv, Paper ID: cond-mat/0209086, 2002-09-04
      2. Time-frequency Analysis of Chaotic Systems, C. Chandre, S. Wiggins, T. Uzer, arXiv, Paper ID: nlin.CD/0209015, 2002-09-06
      3. A New and Simple Chaos Toy, Erik M. Bollt and Aaron Klebanoff, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, 8/02
      4. Bifurcation, Bursting And Spike Generation In A Neural Model, W. Govaerts and A. Dhooge, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, 8/02
      5. Analysis Of Expression Profile Using Fuzzy Adaptive Resonance Theory, Tomida S., Hanai T., Honda H. & Kobayashi T., Bioinformatics, Vol. 18, no. 8, pp.:1073-1083(11), August 2002, The software is available.
      6. Development Of A Computer Algorithm For The Detection Of Phase Singularities And Initial Application To Analyze Simulations Of Atrial Fibrillation, R. Zou, J. Kneller, L. J. Leon &S. Nattel, Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science, Vol. 12, Issue 3, pp.:764-778, September 2002
      7. Investigating Nonlinear Dynamics From Time Series: The Influence Of Symmetries And The Choice Of Observables, C. Letellier, L. A. Aguirre, Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science, Vol. 12, Issue 3, pp.:549-558, September 2002
      8. Neural Signal That Helps Wire Up Brain's Movement Circuit Identified, ScienceDaily, Posted 9/11/2002
      9. Neural Network Predicts Sequence Of TP53 Gene Based On DNA Chip, Spicker J.S., Wikman F., Lu M-L., Cordon-Cardo C., Workman C., Orntoft T.F., Brunak S. & Knudsen S., Bioinformatics, Vol. 18, no. 8, pp.:1133-1134(2), August 2002
      10. Winnerless Competition Between Sensory Neurons Generates Chaos: A Possible Mechanism For Molluscan Hunting Behavior, P. Varona, M. I. Rabinovich, A. I. Selverston & Y. I. Arshavsky, Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science, Vol. 12, Issue 3, pp. 672-677, September 2002
      11. Chaos In The Relativistic Two-Electron Atom, D. U. Matrasulov, Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science, Vol. 12, Issue 3, pp.:650-653, September 2002
      12. Introduction: Mapping And Control Of Complex Cardiac Arrhythmias, D. J. Christini & L. Glass, Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science, Vol.12, Issue 3, pp.: 732-739, September 2002
      13. Spatiotemporal Control Of Cardiac Alternans, B. Echebarria & A. Karma, Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science, Vol.12, Issue 3, pp.:923-930, September 2002
      14. A Primary Mechanism For Spiral Wave Meandering, N. F. Otani, Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science, Vol. 12, Issue 3, pp.:829-842, September 2002
      15. Responses To Playback Of Whistle Songs And Normal Songs In Male Nightingales: Effects Of Song Category, Whistle Pitch, And Distance, M. Naguib , R. Mundry, H. Hultsch & D. Todt, Behav. Eco. & Sociobiol.,Vol. 52, No 4, September 2002
      16. Functionality Of Divergence And Convergence In A Model Of The Insect Olfactory System, R. Lestienne, B. Quenet, S. Bouret & O. Parodi, Biol.  Cybernetics, Vol. 87, Issue 3, pp: 220-229, 2002
      17. Scene Segmentation By Spike Synchronization In Reciprocally Connected Visual Areas. II. Global Assemblies And Synchronization On Larger Space And Time Scales,A. Knoblauch & G. Palm, Biol. Cybernetics, Vol. 87, Issue 3, pp:168-184, 2002
      18. Emergence in Complex Cognitive, Social and Biological Systems, Gianfranco Minati, Eliano Pessa, July 2002, ISBN 0-306-47358-5
      19. Simulating a Full-Length Psychiatric Interview With a Complex Patient: An OSCE for Medical Students, Robert N. McLay, Paul Rodenhauser, Delia S. Anderson, Martha L. Stanton, and Ronald J. Markert, Acad. Psychiatry 2002 September 1; 26(3): p. 162-167
      20. Game Developers Look Beyond Polygons, Matt Loney, ZDNet UK News, 02/08/29
      21. Growing New Body Parts, NYTimes, 02/09/09, What if medicine could grow all the new organs we need in the lab? And repair the body with manufactured tissue? The Doctors Vacanti may be on the verge of a revolution in medical science.
      22. IT's Alive: Chips and Circuits That Mimic Cells, Mike Martin, sci.newsfactor.com, Computers that evolve as tasks grow increasingly complex and come alive with self-replicating chips and self-healing circuits may represent the future of information technology.
      23. Genetics Meets Graphics in Futuristic Document Creation, Mike Martin, sci.newsfactor.com, (...) many document-layout sessions, a new computer algorithm based on human genetics may allow inspiration to take a more prominent role in the artistic equation, (...).
      24. Eyes in the Sky, Ears to the Wall, and Still Wanting, James Bamford, NYTimes, 02/09/08, Preventing domestic and international terrorism in the future will probably depend as much on dumb luck as on smart people.
      25. Attack Gave a Devastating Shove to the City's Teetering Economy, Leslie Eaton, NYTimes, 02/09/08, Disentangling the effects of 9/11 from all the other threads running through the economy is so complex that some economists say flatly that it cannot be done.
      26. Discovering Amazon Rain Forest's Silver Lining, Larry Rohter, NYTimes, 02/09/10, In Xapuri, a remote corner of Brazil's most isolated state, people increasingly see the Amazon rain forest as a solution to the region's chronic poverty.
      27. Oil Companies Receive Saudi Ultimatum, Neela Banerjee, NYTimes, 02/09/10, Saudi Arabia has moved to end a yearlong deadlock with the world's biggest oil companies over a $25 billion project to develop some of its largest natural gas fields.

    2. Webcast Announcements Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. 7th Experimental Chaos Conference, San Diego, Ca, 02/08/26-29, Video/Audio Report
      2. Seventh International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior, Edinburgh, UK, 02/08/04-11, Video/Audio Reports
      3. The Technology Frontier, Gemini Ernst & Young Center for Business Innovation, 02/09/18
      4. Brookings Report Urges Congress to Revise President Bush's Homeland Security Proposal, A Brookings Press Briefing, 02/07/15, Event Video
      5. International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS2002), Nashua, NH, 02/06/09-14 (video + mp3 downloadable audio)
      6. Understanding Complex Systems: Symposium Complexity in Physical and Biological Structures, Medicine & Ecology, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 02/05/13-15
      7. ROBOT: The Future of Flesh and Machine, Rodney A. Brooks, MIT AI Lab, Talk given at the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences of the University of Sussex, May 14th, 2002.
      8. Dean LeBaron's Archive of Daily Video Commentary, Ongoing Since February 1998

    3. Conference Announcements Bookmark and Share

      1. Complexity: A New Perspective For The NHS And Its Partners, U of Exeter, 02/09/17-19
      2. 3rd Intl NAISO Symposium on Engineering Of Intelligent Systems (EIS 20020), Malaga, Spain, 02/09/24-27
      3. Seminar on Non-equilibrium Phenomena and Phase Transitions in Complex Systems, Avila, Spain, 02/09/24-28.
      4. ACRI 2002, 5th Intl Conf on Cellular Automata for Research and Industry, Geneva, Switzerland, 02/10/09-11 
      5. Healthy Organizations & Leadership: What We Can Learn From Complexity Science, Flemington, NJ, 02/09/ 27-28
      6. Unleashing the Storyteller Within: Tapping a New Leadership Skill, PlexusInstitute.org, Maine
      7. Dynamical Systems Methods for Advanced Diagnosis and Prognosis, 39th Annual Technical Meeting of the Society of Engineering Science, University Park, Pennsylvania, 02/10/13-16
      8. Achieve Breakthrough Results by Re-Thinking and Updating Your Organization's "Reason for Being", Santa Fe Associates, NM
      9. Artificial Worlds, Camden, ME, 02/10/18-20
      10. 4th Asia-Pacific Conference on Simulated Evolution And Learning (SEAL'02), 9th International Conference on Neural Information Processing (ICONIP'02), International Conference on Fuzzy Systems and Knowledge Discovery (FSKD'02), Singapore, 02/11/18-22
      11. Dynamical Neuroscience X: From Experiments and Models to Brain Theory, Orlando, Florida, 02/11/01-02
      12. International Conference on Systems, Development and Self-Organization (ICSDS'2002 ),Beijing, 02/11/30-12/01
      13. Managing the Complex IV, Naples , FL, 02/12/07-10
      14. 23rd Army Science Conference (ASC): "Transformational Science & Technology for the Army....a race for speed and precision.", Orlando Fl, 02/12/02-05
      15. Artificial Life VIII, UNSW, Sydney, Australia, 02/12/09-13
        1. 1st Workshop on the Modelling of Dynamical Hierarchies in Alife (WDH 2002)
      16. Hawaii International Conference On System Sciences (HICSS-36), Big Island, Hawaii, 03/01/06-09
      17. INSC 2003, International Nonlinear Sciences Conference Research and Applications in the Life Sciences,Vienna, Austria, 03/02/07-09
      18. 21st ICDE World Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Hong Kong, 03/06/01-05
      19. 2003 Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO-2003), Chicago, IL,03/07/12-16
      20. 2003 AAAI Spring Symposium Series, Computational Synthesis: From Basic Building Blocks To High Level Functionality, Stanford, 03/03/24-27
      21. Uncertainty and Surprise: Questions on Working with the Unexpected, U. of Texas at Austin, Texas USA

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